Sam and Brian snuck out of Dino in an alleyway before the cloaked Ferrari drove away. Brian tapped Sam on his shoulder before running. He identified a good spot to camp out and take aim at the men.
"Alright Sam, you can do this. You can do this" he repeated to himself. He psyched himself up to go out and deliver.
He finally got his adrenaline up and stepped out into the sunlight. Sam walked with haste in his steps as some of his nerves still got through. Within a few seconds, the soldiers spotted him and asked him to stop.
"Take one more step and we drop you!" the soldier declared.
Red dots appeared on Sam's chest as he paused mid-stride. He slowly lifted his arms to show that he didn't have any weapons on him.
"Is my family okay? Are they in there?" he asked, his voice conveying his concern.
The soldiers remained silent, their gaze fixed on the civilian in front of him.
"Answer me!! Are they in there!" he demanded, his tone becoming a bit aggressive.
"Yeah, they're in there. But you can't see them yet" a soldier answered.
On the other side of the town, Savoy had confirmed to Attinger that the Autobots have come to surrender. He was more than pleased with how things were going. Now to execute the next part of their plan.
Hidden in the row of buildings, a slightly metallic dark grey robotic figure stood. Four Steeljaws, two on each side stood around him, growling lowly as drool escaped their mouths. His face had lenses and scopes over his eyes as he watched patiently like a tiger stalking its prey. Switching through different optical spectrums modes, he confirmed the position of Optimus. There was a low growl from him. His face and head began to change, taking a shape not common to the head of most, if not all transformers. Pieces shifted and assembled themselves together creating the iconic head cannon.
"Alright. We've spoken with our higher ups and they have asked that you follow us peacefully" Savoy said.
Ironhide and Jet turned their heads, their eyes locking for a second before they turned back to the humans. Their gaze was worth four words, 'Keep your eyes open'.
"We will oblige" Optimus assured.
He took a quick glance at his men to ensure that they would comply. They nodded.
"Good. Let's go"
That was the word lockdown was waiting for. That phrase had been designated as his command to engage. His crosshairs aligned with Optimus' frame, picking a spot in his right chest plate close to his spark. His weapon whirred, charging up as he prepared an armor piercing round. A metal piece clicked into place and the round fired. It travelled through the air faster than eyes or optics could track; moving passed buildings, passing through windows before finally piercing through metal.
The force of the shell forced Optimus to lose his footing; he was thrust backwards and onto the ground as he tried to process what was going on. His back touched the ground as his sensors rang out in pain.
"Open fire!!" Savoy commanded.
"Ambush!!" Ironhide cried.
"Cover Optimus!!" Sideswipe chimed in.
Bullets were sprayed at the Autobots as they tried to get themselves to cover. The helicopters above were closing in and that would be detrimental to them escaping.
"Jetstream! Choppers!" yelled Ironhide.
"Copy!"
Jetstream charged up his EMP behind the cover of a story building. He got it up just as the choppers got into position and he released it. All human communications and machines were down; the choppers and the vehicles lost power and spiraled to the ground. This also scrambled Lockdown's communication systems and they needed to be rebooted.
"Damn Autobots" he cursed.
The sudden start of gun fire distracted the guards in front of Sam. Brian took the opportunity and struck. He shot down the two men that stood guard and cleared the way for Sam to advance. Sam pulled out the pistol on his back pocket and walked towards the front door to breach.
At the back, the soldiers became frightened. They heard shots in front, they heard gun fire go off in the distance and they witnessed their helicopters fall from the sky.
"What do we do?" one asked.
"We stand guard and wait for our next orders. Until then, no one leaves this place"
While they conversed, Dino had crept his way to their position. Each step was carefully placed to conceal his position and remain silent to their senses. Now that he was basically by their side, he struck. He lunged at them, swinging his arms as he hit both men into the air. They flew and hit their backs and their heads against a wall and were knocked out.
"This is Mirage. Entrance and exits have been secured, requesting Bumblebee's assistance" he radioed in.
The Autobots exchanged fire with Savoy and his men from behind the cover of buildings. Ratchet was examining Optimus' wounds in an alley while the others laid down fire.
"Move it Bee!" yelled Sideswipe. "We got you covered"
Bumblebee nodded and darted away, transforming into his Camaro once he was in the clear.
"Don't let them get away!" shouted Savoy.
Lockdown was annoyed by the whole scenario and was beginning to lose his cool. In cybertronian, he ordered his Steeljaws to join the hunt and they obliged. The metal hounds ran as quickly as their legs could take them, excited to sink their teeth into metal.
Sam breached through the door and had his gun out in front of him. He held the grip tightly, his finger hovering over the trigger as he checked around for any more doors. The main part of the store was clear, no one was there. He took a corner leading to the storage room in the back and was ambushed. The man that was with the families had come out and waited in the corridor to attack the person that came in. The gunshots alerted him to their presence and he was ready to fight.
He hit the weapon out of Sam's hand, disarming him in mere seconds. The man charged into Samuel, his shoulder biting into his gut as he rammed him into a wall. Sam groaned as he hit the wall, the sound he made alerted Carly and the others.
"Sam?" she said in disbelief.
They could all sense it, they were being rescued.
Sam slammed both elbows into the man's back repeatedly until he let him go. The operative took a couple steps back but Sam didn't let him breathe. He closed down the space between the two, ramming into him and sending him into the wall on the other side. Sam began to punch the man in the side of his torso repeatedly, battering his ribcage. The two men tussled, with Sam refusing to budge.
They found themselves in the main room, exchanging blows with one another. The soldier was more trained and gained the upper hand on the civilian. Sam managed to deliver a right hook to the man but not without consequence. He parried Sam's next strike and jabbed his face causing Sam to take two steps back. The man advanced, punching Sam in the gut, then a left hook to his face before ultimately grabbing his head and throwing it down to collide with his knee.
Sam was dazed and fell backwards. The combination of blows was too much for him to handle, and now his left nostril had blood streaming down from it.
"You thought you were on the right side? You thought wrong" the man said as he pulled his pistol from his holster. "You actually thought we would let you and your families go? After all you guys know? Never. We were going to kill you all once the husbands showed up but I guess we'll just have to start with you"
The man aimed at Sam, placing his finger over the trigger as he prepared to pull it. Sam looked at him with wide eyes; he realized that this really could be the end. His closed his eyes and waited for the bang from the gun. He waited in the silence and then he heard it, the bang he was expecting. He froze in place, expecting to feel a sharp pain or open his eyes to see the pearly gates but he was wrong. He slowly opened his eyes and found the man dead on the ground. His eyes raced to the entrance as Brian ran in, his hands firmly holding his rifle.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
Sam was still shaken, he wasn't dead. Brian walked up to him and stretched out his arm for him to grab hold. Sam stretched out his hand and held on to him as Brian pulled him up.
"You should probably get that checked" he said, referring to his bleeding nose.
"I will"
"Great. Let's go get our families"
The two men quickly rushed to the storage door and tried to get in, but the door was locked. The families inside moved towards the end of the room, not knowing who was on the other side of the door. Brian took five steps back before rushing at the door, kicking it below the lock as the door burst open. The two men walked in as they found their wives shielding their kids from whoever came in.
"Carly" Sam said rushing over.
"Daddy!" his daughter exclaimed with joy.
The three of them embraced one another as the parents shared a kiss.
"I knew it was you behind the door" she said.
"I was never going to let them hurt any of you"
"Dad!" Brian's youngest son yelled, running towards him and hugging him by the waste.
"My big boy" he said, lifting him up and holding him tightly.
His two other sons and his wife circled around him as he took his time to hug each and every one of them one at a time.
"I'm glad that you all are okay. I really am" he said as he struggled to keep a hold of his emotions.
"How did you guys get here?" Carly asked.
Before either of them could speak, an explosion went off in the distance.
"Well, from that sound, you should know that the Autobots are out there distracting those soldiers so we can move" Sam said.
"If they're fighting out there, how are we going to escape?" Brian's wife asked.
"We've made arrangements for that. Mirage is currently waiting for us at the back. Bumblebee should be on his way" Brian answered. "Come on guys, let's move"
Brian led them out, with his rifle pointed and ready to fire just in case they got any visitors. Sam covered their rear, pistol held out just as a precaution. They were finally reunited with their families and wouldn't allow anything or anyone get in their way. The two families pushed through the back door, opening it as sunlight rushed into their eyes. Outside, they found nothing, other than the two knocked out men.
"I thought you said, Mirage was going to be here?" Carly questioned.
Brian's lips parted open to give an answer but a rev from that beautiful engine cut him out. Mirage uncloaked himself slowly; his panels went out one by one to reveal that lovely red color of his.
"Did anyone order an uber?" he joked.
"Great timing" Sam said.
"How are we supposed to all fit in him?" Brian's oldest son asked.
"Not all of us. Just you and Allen"
"Just me and Allen? You can't do that. What about Mom and the little ones? What about you dad?"
"Bumblebee is already on his way. He's going to take all the mothers and the young kids out of here. Sideswipe or Jetstream would get Sam and I out of here. There isn't time to debate about this. You guys have to go. Now" Brian's tone was resolute. There was no point in him arguing with his Dad.
Mirage's doors swung open as he waited for the two boys to get in. His son hugged him tightly. "Be safe Dad and get back to us in one piece. Promise me"
"I will Richard, I will"
Richard and Allen rushed into the Ferrari as Dino swiftly took off.
"How far out is Bumblebee?" Carly asked.
"He shouldn't be long now" Sam answered.
Every minute they spent out in the open was vital. The battle raged on not so far away. Weapons echoed throughout the streets, explosions went off in quick succession. The little kids were agitated, the sounds, the explosions, the bangs; they were not prepared for it at all. The mothers tried to keep them calm as they waited eagerly for Bumblebee to arrive.
Standing outside waiting, the heard growls and grunts from an alleyway and then a trash can flies out of it. Brian's hands carefully held on to his weapon as he set his fire rate to auto. Sam held on to his pistol as he slowly pushed Carly back. They could sense the danger, but they didn't know what just yet. A steel paw made its way into the sunlight, and then a head; two Steeljaws emerged from the shadows cast by the buildings and had their sights set on the humans. The snarled, growled and grunted as the two stood fifty meters away from the six of them. Brian's eyes met with his wife's, Carly's and then Sam's. They all had the same thought.
"RUN!!!"